28th September – Tsuglakhang, Dharamsala.
This morning, the Central Tibetan Administration, on behalf of Tibetans inside and outside Tibet, offered a tenshug (long-life prayer offering) to the Dalai Lama.
The heads of all schools of Tibetan Buddhism including the Bon tradition gathered together in the main temple to unanimously offer the tenshug. The four-hour-long prayer was led by the Sakya Trizin; he was supported by the Gyalwang Karmapa and Drikung Kyabgon representing Kagyu, the Gaden Tripa representing Gelug, Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche representing the Nyingma and Menri Trizin representing Bon.
This tenshug was organized at the end of the Second Special Meeting of Tibetans (September 25-28) which had been called by the Kashag and Tibetan Parliament in Exile in order to hold extensive discussions on campaign ideas and plans for action by exile Tibetans in light of the critical situation inside Tibet.

by Bella Chao Finally had a chance to see this play written by HH 17th Karmapa. Due to the time constraint, what we saw was an abbreviated version of less than 3 hours vs. the 5-hour original. Also thanks to Ani J. who spotted this great seat for me though I was quite late to the venue after the dharma talk hosted by Robert Thurman. Since it was all in Tibetan, the interpretation below is purely based on my guess work. So a big disclaimer here… Probably because Tibetan opera was invented by Tangtong Gyalpo, so in the very beginning of the show, they paid respect to his statue and had some mask dance. (Coincidentally I was chatting with this lady sitting next to me about the way they sing and promised to share with her some of my fav tunes. It turned out that one of the chant which reminded me of Gregorian chant and I thought she would enjoy is actually a prayer of Tangtong Gyalpo’s lineage on Combined Amitayus and Hayagriva:https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=12c681d04f03de08#cid=12C681D04F03…

At a time when nearly all in this Northern Land Were living in utter contradiction to Dharma, Without illusion, O Tsong Khapa, you polished the teachings. Hence I sing this praise to you of Ganden Mountain. When the teachings of Sakya, Kagyu, Kadam And Nyingma sects in Tibet were declining, You, O Tsong Khapa, revived Buddha’s Doctrine, Hence I sing this praise to you of Ganden Mountain. Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, gave to you Special instructions on the thought of Nagarjuna. O Tsong Khapa, upholder of the Middle Way, I sing this praise to you of Ganden Mountain. “Mind and form are not empty of their own natures But are empty of truly existent mind and form”, You, O Tsong Khapa, are Tibet’s chief exponent of voidness, Hence I sing this praise to you of Ganden Mountain. In merely a few years you filled The land from China to India With peerless holders of the saffron robes. Hence I sing this praise to you Ganden Mountain. Those who become your followers An…

Each person must find his or her own path. Nonetheless, seek guidance from wise and compassionate people and listen to them earnestly. This will help you find the best way to proceed – now and in the future.

BY SARANSH SEHGAL
13th September – Gyuto, Dharamsala.
The Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorjee is the spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism and revered as the Tibet's third highest lama. The Karmapa means "the one who carries out Buddha activity" and like the 14th Dalai Lama, the 27-year-old the 17th Karmapa too fled his homeland Tibet for religious and other freedoms and now lives in the Indian Himalayan town of Dharamsala also known as the de facto capital of Tibetan exiles which has come an epicenter of Tibetan Buddhism and politics far away from their homeland Tibet.
His dramatic escape from Tibet in 1999 made him a hero to exiled Tibetans and caught world attention fooling the Chinese government; he pretended to go into seclusion but instead slipped out with a handful of helpers. He was just 14, but the Tibetan movement straightway saw in him a young and a charismatic leader who balances his spirituality much with today's modernity.
The you…